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Today in my classroom....

Josie

Josie

*probably reading smut*
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We were talking about this book ---

9780545331524_xlg.jpg

I asked them to choose a President and I'd read to them what that president was like when he was little and some interesting facts about him as President. We did Lincoln, Washington, Obama and then someone asked about Bill Clinton. So we read Bill Clinton's page - talked about how he played the saxophone. Then a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
 
"Yes, Jimmy, he did do some interesting stuff and you may want to remember that question for when you're in college and we can legally explain it to you".
 
I just thought he jogged to the local McDonald's so he could explain the anti-warlord stance of the United States.
 
Josie said:
If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...
I know right? The peace deal between Palestine and Israel was HUGE! And the fact that Clinton forged that deal himself and not the SoS shows just how incredibly smart and talented he really was. I'll always remember the Clinton presidency most fondly for the epic SNES vs GENESIS Console wars followed by the PS ONE being crazy awesome.
 
Josie said:
........ a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...

If the kid only knew what exactly ? :thinking
 
Lutherf said:
"Yes, Jimmy, he did do some interesting stuff and you may want to remember that question for when you're in college and we can legally explain it to you".
Click to expand...

No. Even in college you must be careful nowadays. Thats the kind of story that could disturb today's college kids. You can't tell them tales of statutory rape without good cause. ;)

Or wasn't it that in that jurisdiction? ;)
 
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The substantive content of this thread is truly extraordinary.
 
Lutherf said:
"Yes, Jimmy, he did do some interesting stuff and you may want to remember that question for when you're in college and we can legally explain it to you".
Click to expand...

The book talked about him being impeached. I explained to the kids what that meant and they wanted to know what he did. I said, "Meh - not that important" and we moved on.
 
Josie said:
We were talking about this book ---

View attachment 67209664

I asked them to choose a President and I'd read to them what that president was like when he was little and some interesting facts about him as President. We did Lincoln, Washington, Obama and then someone asked about Bill Clinton. So we read Bill Clinton's page - talked about how he played the saxophone. Then a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...If you really wanne boil down what the presidents did, not in the whole context of their presidency but boiled down to individuals acts. Then by your definition you should pause about all presidents act... For example Washington did ownsleves and raped them from time to time. Not illegal but definatley immoral even as a slave owner.


Here is one the quotes by Lincoln.... that should give you pause; you probably don't see that in any text books, or even discuss it.

"I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races -- that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior and I as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."

I always say...Context matters...

I do find it odd that things that used to be immoral and unbendign acts according to republican Leardership conveinetly have turned into meh Now!

hmmm...gives you pause


Diving Mullah
 
Diving Mullah said:
Hmmm...If you really wanne boil down what the presidents did, not in the whole context of their presidency but boiled down to individuals acts. Then by your definition you should pause about all presidents act... For example Washington did ownsleves and raped them from time to time. Not illegal but definatley immoral even as a slave owner.


Here is one the quotes by Lincoln.... that should give you pause; you probably don't see that in any text books, or even discuss it.

"I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races -- that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior and I as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."

I always say...Context matters...

I do find it odd that things that used to be immoral and unbendign acts according to republican Leardership conveinetly have turned into meh Now!

hmmm...gives you pause


Diving Mullah
Click to expand...

They're children. Lighten up.
 
Josie said:
We were talking about this book ---

View attachment 67209664

I asked them to choose a President and I'd read to them what that president was like when he was little and some interesting facts about him as President. We did Lincoln, Washington, Obama and then someone asked about Bill Clinton. So we read Bill Clinton's page - talked about how he played the saxophone. Then a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...

"Kids Say The Darndest Things"
 
Josie said:
The book talked about him being impeached. I explained to the kids what that meant and they wanted to know what he did. I said, "Meh - not that important" and we moved on.
Click to expand...

So you didn't want to finish reading the tiny paragraph written for children which says.......

".....He lied about a relationship he had with a White House intern, Like Andrew Johnson, he was tried in the Senate and found not guilty."

https://books.google.com/books?id=W...e&q=i grew up to be president impeach&f=false
Click to expand...

:thinking
 
Utility Man said:
So you didn't want to finish reading the tiny paragraph written for children which says.......



:thinking
Click to expand...

And they wanted to know what that was about --- I didn't go into specifics.
 
Josie said:
And they wanted to know what that was about --- I didn't go into specifics.
Click to expand...

I think while you're at it, they want you to tell them there is no Santa Claus either.
 
Josie said:
We were talking about this book ---

View attachment 67209664

I asked them to choose a President and I'd read to them what that president was like when he was little and some interesting facts about him as President. We did Lincoln, Washington, Obama and then someone asked about Bill Clinton. So we read Bill Clinton's page - talked about how he played the saxophone. Then a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...

Yeah, he didn't do anything except for balancing the budget and giving us a surplus large enough that if someone didn't waste it, it would have paid off our ENTIRE national debt by 2012 (which surplus was promptly wasted by Dubya with his tax-slashing). But I guess since he didn't go wasting the lives of our military in useless wars overseas, he must not have done anything important.
 
Reading this thread, I'm reminded that some folks don't belong in the classroom.
 
Josie said:
We were talking about this book ---

View attachment 67209664

I asked them to choose a President and I'd read to them what that president was like when he was little and some interesting facts about him as President. We did Lincoln, Washington, Obama and then someone asked about Bill Clinton. So we read Bill Clinton's page - talked about how he played the saxophone. Then a kid asked very innocently, "Did Bill Clinton do anything interesting while he was in the White House?"

Welll.....

If you only knew, kid. If you only knew.
Click to expand...
What grade are you teaching?

That was my first year teaching when that happened with impeachment proceedings initiated in late 1998. Was teaching in a block schedule regular social studies classes, and one English class, to ninth graders. They ALL, boys and girls, already knew exactly what Hill's Billy had done with Monica et al. I had to emphasize and keep emphasizing that he was not impeached for his "relations" with an intern, he was impeached for lying under oath [perjury].

So, it was a very impactful teaching moment as they learned two new vocab words, perjury and impeachment. Impeachment being brought by the house and similar to an indictment in regular criminal law. I drummed that in as so many people at the time,and still, believe it to mean being thrown out of office. Also was already teaching them the meaning of Jihad that year, had already decided that we were having a clash of cultures and my kids should be aware of threats to the country, the new terrorist threats. We studied Islam and the 5 pillars as that was included in the curriculum, but I also taught them of the schism between the Sunni and Shia, which was not.

Funny thing was, my social studies department head, big lib, and I got into a "discussion" two years later and he tried to tell me Bill Clinton was never impeached. I maintained steadfastly that he most certainly had been knowing he was somehow thinking that he, like most folks, thought that impeachment meant being thrown out of office.

We made a $1000 bet. You could probably guess, he never paid up. I moved to a brand new school the next, fateful, year, 2001. Had basically only just begun when Sept. 11 hit us like two planes flying into the twin towers.

Sure had my kid's attention then.
 
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